1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head discharging a liquid and a method of manufacturing the liquid discharge head, and more particularly to a liquid discharge head for performing recording by discharging an ink onto a recording medium and a method of manufacturing the liquid discharge head.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of the liquid discharge head discharging a liquid, an ink jet printing system performing recording by discharging an ink onto a recording medium can be given.
A liquid discharge head to be applied to the ink jet printing system (liquid jet recording system) is generally equipped with a plurality of minute discharge ports, liquid flow paths, and energy generating elements, each of which energy generating elements is provided at a part of each of the liquid flow paths and generates energy to be used for discharging a liquid. As a conventional method of manufacturing such a liquid discharge head, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-090575 discloses as follows.
First, a pattern of flowing paths is formed of a resolvable resin on a wafer-shaped silicon substrate, on which energy generating elements are formed. Next, a coated resin layer, which becomes flow path walls and includes epoxy resin and cationic photoinitiator, is applied on the mold member in the shape of the flow paths, and after that, the solvent in the coated resin layer is removed at a normal temperature under a depressurized condition. Next, the discharge ports are formed on the energy generating elements by the photolithography. Last, the resolvable resin is eluted and the flow paths are formed. Then, the coated resin layer to become the flow path walls is cured.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-090575 describes that the solvent is vaporized from a part near to the mold member situated at a deep part of the coated resin layer under the depressurized condition and the solvent is removed from the compatible layer, which is formed by the intermingling of the coated resin layer and the mold member. Because the compatible layer remains together with the coated resin layer after the cure thereof after the removal of the mold member, the compatible layer exerts a great influence on the capacity of the flow paths.
However, if the wafer-shaped substrate grows in size, the dispersion of the compatible layer sometimes becomes larger in each position within the wafer. Consequently, it is required to reduce the dispersion of the thickness of the compatible layer within the wafer more and more.